Neglected infectious diseases may be tomorrow's pandemic: Bharat Bio chief

Bharat Biotech International Limited Chairman Dr Krishna Ella on Monday said today's neglected infectious diseases could be tomorrow's global pandemic and stressed the need to have a coherent strategy to fight them.

He said this during an event organised as part of the 38 foundation day celebrations by CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh.

Bharat Biotech's Covaxin is credited to be India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine to be approved and administered to a sizeable population across the globe.

Delivering this year's foundation day lecture virtually on Innovation and Leadership in Pandemic, Ella highlighted how today's neglected infectious diseases could be tomorrow's global pandemic and stressed the need to have a coherent strategy to fight infectious diseases, according to an CSIR-IMTECH statement.

During his lecture, Dr Ella highlighted how innovative technology in vaccine development is essential to solve public healthcare problems caused by infectious diseases.

He said Indian pharmaceutical companies need to innovate beyond generic vaccines to be a global player in the vaccine market.

He stressed the need for scientists to examine the unknowns that could be the future cause of pandemic through zoonotic and unknown viruses.

A serial entrepreneur with a passion for innovative ideas, Bharat Biotech has also ventured into veterinary vaccines, food processing, and developing biotechnology infrastructure in the country.

Dr Ella is also involved in shaping India's science education and policy through his association with several committees, said the statement.

Dr Shekhar C Mande, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research & Director General CSIR, asked scientists to focus on microbiome therapies, which could be future game changer for treating diseases.

Dr Sanjeev Khosla, Director, CSIR-IMTECH, lauded efforts of scientists and researchers for the work carried out to fight the pandemic during the challenging times of COVID-19.

The CSIR-IMTECH is a national centre for excellence in microbial sciences and was established in 1984.